as in maybe
it is possible
perchance he is playing the devil's advocate, and the opinions he has expressed are not actually his own
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Recent Examples of perchance
Because any driver worth their salt would figure this out and likely after perchance one time falling into this bit of a roadway trap, would avoid going that way entirely.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2021
To sleep, perchance to heal A report in the journal Nature Communications adds to the list of sleep’s benefits.
—Magnus Wennman, National Geographic, 17 June 2019
To sleep, perchance to dream of a giant plate of nachos.
—Gray Chapman, SELF, 27 Mar. 2019
Its members liked to call themselves kleagles, goblins and other names of darkling potency, to meet in solemn 'konklaves,' burn a fiery cross upon a distant hill and, perchance, frighten a Negro child outnumbered 100 to 1.
—The Washington Post, AL.com, 10 Apr. 2018
Ah, to sleep, perchance … to shrink your neural connections?
—Christopher Wanjek, Scientific American, 3 Feb. 2017
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2021
To sleep, perchance to heal A report in the journal Nature Communications adds to the list of sleep’s benefits.
—Magnus Wennman, National Geographic, 17 June 2019
To sleep, perchance to dream of a giant plate of nachos.
—Gray Chapman, SELF, 27 Mar. 2019
Its members liked to call themselves kleagles, goblins and other names of darkling potency, to meet in solemn 'konklaves,' burn a fiery cross upon a distant hill and, perchance, frighten a Negro child outnumbered 100 to 1.
—The Washington Post, AL.com, 10 Apr. 2018
Ah, to sleep, perchance … to shrink your neural connections?
—Christopher Wanjek, Scientific American, 3 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for perchance
Adverb
-
So hopefully to be able to grow them in the brand from a Jetta maybe to a Tiguan to an Atlas.—
Robert Ferris,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The studio does have a D23 coming up in the fall, so maybe some of the biggest secrets are being kept until then, but this presentation didn’t disappoint the fans.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
State officials have approved a private initiative to transport the whale back to the North Sea and possibly further to the Atlantic.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Still, Robinson became one of the best players of his generation, possibly of all time, showing tremendous mental fortitude to go along with his elite athleticism.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
As a teen-ager listening to folk music in London pubs, I’d been attracted to the instrument’s nimble, tinkling cheerfulness, its being on the margins, not too demanding, perhaps.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
-
After the first sunny spring day, Parisians have officially packed up their winter wardrobe and replaced knits and boots with breezy trench coats and elegant ballerina flats—a look the French are perhaps most famous for.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Making the record even more impressive was the revelation in the post-competition weighing of Wilkins’ discus to verify the record that the implement was actually two ounces heavier than the required 4 pounds, 6 ounces weight, a fact that cost Wilkins additional inches, probably feet.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Berea College, in Kentucky, is probably the most well known of these institutions.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Perchance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/perchance. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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